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As summer approaches, the weather in Hong Kong begins to shift perceptibly. The gentle breezes and stirring winds herald the onset of seasonal storms. May everyone find their own tranquility through our mindfulness practices, regardless of the tempestuous weather that lies ahead. Past Events March Retreat Lotus Pond Temple Friends receiving the Five Mindfulness Training We had our first Spring Retreat in 2024 from Mar 28 to Apr 1st. Same as our previous retreats, it was a full house. The theme of the retreat was Dhammapada: Chapter on Auspicious Signs. We were glad to have Sr. Trang Nghiem, Sr. Si Nghiem, one of the first Hong Kong Sister ordained under Plum Village tradition, and Thay Phap Kham, the Director of the Asian Institute of Applied Buddhism, explaining the Sutra and elaborating on how we can put it into daily practices. On the morning of the last day, we had the Five Mindfulness Trainings transmission ceremony. More than 20 friends received the Training and vowed to follow it as their lifestyle. If you are interested to join our future retreats, here is the upcoming retreat schedule. src: Fb post Upcoming Events Sunday Day of Mindfulness Sunday Day of Mindfulness is led by AIAB monastics to integrate mindfulness into daily life. Every Sunday, through a series of mindfulness practice activities, we can enjoy the happiness of being present in the moment. In addition, practicing together as a sangha is an enjoyable experience and strengthens our practice. More details and the schedule are here. Participants please register on the website. Schedule: Every Sunday at 9:30am Venue: Lantau Island, Lotus Pond Temple. See here for transportation options. Friday Night Practices Friday Night Practice is a “lite” mindful practice in town. We will have singing meditation, sitting meditation, walking meditation, passage reading, and dharma sharing. Through the evening practice we will generate a collective energy that bring healing and transformation in ourselves and the world […]

Dear, Last month, it was the Lunar New Year and we had a chance to gather, relax, and celebrate it together. We hope everyone have a peaceful new year and we vow to diligently put our practices into our lives. Past Events Plum Village Chinese New Year Parallels Spacious Mind – Inclusive Heart At this new year we have a chance to look at how much room there is in our heart and how much space there is in our mind. We can practice to enlarge the capacity of our heart and mind every day. We may notice that there is someone we have not yet allowed into our heart and we begin to look deeply to see how we can allow that person a place in our heart. Download and read more about the parallels. Lunar New Year Celebration (Feb 9 – 11) There was Lunar New Year celebration in Plum Village HK in the past month. We had a chance to listen to the oracles from tales of Kieu and visiting monastics’ rooms in Lunar New Year. We paid our respect to our teacher, Thầy, and had the Oracle reading. The monastic suggested “mindful solution” to friends’ enquiry according to the verse that the friend got. We also saw the Lion Dancing in Bamboo Forest Monastery, where monastic brothers are living. The naughty lion and the “Bug Head Buddha” played around. Friends used red pockets to attract the lion to come close to them. It was full of laughter. The monastic decorated their room so peaceful and elegant. We sat down, chatted, drank tea., enjoying the moment being together. Upcoming Events Spring Retreat Theme of the retreat: Teachings on the Auspicious Sign In this retreat, we will have the chance to learn the Dhammapada: Chapter on Auspicious Signs (Sutra 211, Volume 4) and the Discourse on Happiness (Mahamangala Sutta, Sutta Nipata 2.4). It is wonderful and assuring to […]

Check out Plum Village Chinese New Year Parallels

Dear, We are getting into the second month of 2024, and it is getting cold in Hong Kong. Last month we had a memorial service of Thich Nhat Hanh and we were reminded to continue Buddha and Thay’s teachings in our daily lives. Past Events Thich Nhat Hanh Memorial Service (Jan 14) Plum Village Hong Kong held the Memorial Ceremony for Thay and over 150 friends came. We started with the walking meditation, followed by the Ceremony. Thay’s photo was put in front of the Buddha statue. There were flowers, fruit, tea and Thay’s favour food put in front of the altar. The four folded sangha gathered around the altar as the ceremony started. Thanks to the Vietnamese friends, they have prepared the yummy lunch for us. We set up a table for Thay to have the lunch with us. Brother Bien Hieu, as Thay’s attendance, shared Thay’s food to us. Thay used to share the food with friends and it is a beautiful memory. In the afternoon, we watched the documentary “I have arrived. I am home” together and with the short sharing later. Friends shared their interaction with Thay and the gratitude towards Thay. Lastly, we sang “In Gratitude” in Vietnamese, English, and Mandarin to Thay. source: Rain of Compassion Sangha, Fb Post Also: My life is my teaching, honoring our ancestor Thay Upcoming Events “Peace in Oneself, Peace in the World” Public Talk “Peace in Oneself, Peace in the World” Public Talk by Venerable Dr. Thich Chan Pháp Ấn. In the midst of the rapid changes in the world, the pressure from work, responsibility from family, and uncertainty in life can all be the sources of our stress we feel day to day. We are happy to have Venerable Dr. Thich Chan Pháp Ấn who will have a short visit to Hong Kong and will give a public talk on the captioned subject. Program: Guided meditation, Dharma […]

— If we are mindful, peace and happiness is just one breath away from us 😊 Dear, In the December over two thousand years ago, Jesus was born and spread the news to love God and love the people around us. These are the two most important commandments in the Bible. Last month in Plum Village Hong Kong, we also celebrated the Christmas festival and delved deep in the meaning of Christmas, birth of Christ, and Buddhism. Past Events Sunday Day of Mindfulness – Christmas Celebration (Dec 24th) December 24 DOM is a special DOM. It was be the last Sunday Day of Mindfulness in 2023. Not only did we practice mindfulness together, we also celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ. Once again we were reminded from Thay teaching about the non-duality of life and death. Christ is neither born nor died, and the same as Buddha. They are transformed into other matters. This is the same as the cloud up in the sky. It is formed from the water in the river, vapour in the air, and will transform into rain falling down to the earth, nourishing all things touched by it. If we practice the teachings of Christ and Buddha, then they live within us and are manifested through us. It is also refreshing to feel the breeze during our walking meditation that morning on the Ngong Ping hiking trail. Have to appreciate the tastiness of the vegan meals up in the Temple 😋 More photos at this Fb post. We also have a longer blog post here. Wake Up Retreat 2023 (Dec 28th – Jan 1st) The theme for this retreat is Mindfulness Survival Kit 101. We had a chance to learn and go deep into these guidelines of the Five Mindfulness Trainings. In this issue, we are privileged to have a long-time Wake Up practitioner, Jamie, to share her experience in the retreat: The 2023 Wake […]

Last month, we were reminded about True Happiness during Thấy Pháp Nguyện’s talk. In December, we will continue with our regular Friday Night Practices and Sunday Day of Mindfulness. Additionally, we provide an update on the Wake Up Retreat: Mindfulness Survival Kit 101, coming at the end of the month. Past Events Sunday Day of Mindfulness (Nov 12th) We had a special guest, Thấy Pháp Nguyện, who was Thây’s attendant stationed in Thailand, visited us in Nov. He gave a Dharma Talk and the topic was “True Happiness”. The followings were some of the highlights: Bring joy to others, smiling to everyone. In morning, afternoon and evening, may all beings you preserved to protect themselves. If I accidentally stepped on you, may you be liberated. What is the foundation of peace? Our teacher Thây said that Peace is Understanding and Love. (For more, refer to the original Fb post). Upcoming Events Friday Night Practices (2023 Dec) In our Friday night practice session, in addition to singing meditation, sitting meditation, walking meditation, and Dharma sharing, we continue reading “The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching” by Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh in December. Here is the schedule: Dec 1st (Fri), 19:30 – 21:15 UTC+8, Online(Zoom) – English Dec 15th (Fri), 19:00 – 21:00 UTC+8, Central – Cantonese For those interested, please visit our website on the Friday Night Practice to register. Sunday Day of Mindfulness & Christmas Celebration on Dec 24 Sunday Day of Mindfulness is led by AIAB monastics to integrate mindfulness into daily life. Every Sunday, through a series of mindfulness practice activities, we can enjoy the happiness of being present in the moment. In addition, practicing together as a sangha is an enjoyable experience and strengthens our practice. With more details here. Participants can register on the website. If the registration is close, you can also send an email to aiab@pvfhk.org. Christmas and New Year are times when family members […]